


A Love To Transcend Time

by SilasSolarius



Series: Moulin Rouge. The Story of Satine and Christian [2]
Category: Moulin Rouge! (2001), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drug Addiction, Elena Gilbert Bashing, M/M, Past Drug Use, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-26
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2018-04-06 04:49:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4208559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilasSolarius/pseuds/SilasSolarius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Damon had been a good man once...then he lost his heart. Now, his heart has returned to him and he isn't letting go this time.</p><p> </p><p>Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries or Moulin Rouge no matter how much I wish I did.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Once upon a dream

**Chapter One**

He'd been a good man once, a very long time ago.

If anyone asked him when that had been he might have told them that this was back when he was human, before Katherine had taken his heart and destroyed it…but he'd be lying.

The fact was that if a person had known him only 100 or so years earlier they'd have known  _him_ as a good man. A happy, wonder-filled man, far too naive and kind. A love sick man who lived his life dreaming of love and the wonderful effect it had on life.

They'd know him as  _she_ had known him.

Not Katherine, no, never her. He had discovered only a year after his turning that she was too far in love with Stefan to have actually ever loved him and he himself was only in love with the idea of her, not her.

Katherine nor Stefan had any idea of what had happened to him after they had separated that fateful year after they were turned. All they knew was he'd left a callous, but not cruel man only to return almost a century later a bitter, ruthless vampire hell-bent on destroying the life the two of them had built together.

They knew nothing of the thirty four years he spent traveling and learning, trying to heal from their betrayal. Nor did they know how he'd discovered a passion for writing and singing. That at the turn of the century he had traveled to Paris trying to make a life for himself. They didn't know that he'd fallen in love and fought to keep that love only to lose it just as the battle had seemed won.

They didn't know of the songs he'd written or of the small leather bound book he carried with him no matter where he went. They knew nothing but what he allowed them to know; he was a cruel inhumane bastard with no feelings that saw humans as nothing but pets and it would've stayed that way.

He'd been a good man once…and after meeting Jeremy Gilbert, Damon had a feeling that he could become a good man once again.

* * *

He'd always known.

As a child he'd been unable to understand why he always felt like something was missing in his life. He couldn't figure out why his heart always hurt, nor why he often dreamt of a handsome dark haired man with cerulean blue eyes and a charming smile. Nor did he know why he always dreamed of the man singing to him and holding him in strong steady arms. It all seemed so right that he had just accepted it as part of life yet he knew that no one else was having these dreams. When he had asked his mother about it she had told him it was just a figment of him imagination so he kept further observations to himself.

He researched it all in secret and he discovered that he had been reliving another person's life through his dreams. The life felt so much like his own that he found himself falling in love with the man his dream self was in love with. His heart broke with hers as she discovered she would have to leave him to save him from both his own grief and the Duke's jealousy and it sang in relief as they were reunited on stage in front of everyone, voices joined in perfect harmony. He even felt his own heart stop when the sickness consume his dream self, able to taste blood on his own lips. It all felt so real and it was.

Shortly after experiencing her death in the dream, she came to him. She was gorgeous with her long dark red hair and beautiful hazel green eyes. Her facial structure shocked him the most however…she looked exactly like a more feminine version of him.

" _Hello Jeremy. I'm sure you are wondering what is going on."_

_He nodded his eyes wide as he stared at her, absently noting how they both seemed to glow in the inky blackness of his mind._

" _Well, I shall endeavor to put it bluntly. You are me."_

" _What?" The teen exclaimed and the woman nodded delicately._

" _I am Satine. You are me reborn. However, somehow the reincarnation process went wrong so instead of you having just my soul and a few of my personality traits you are me in the entirety. You have me face, my knowledge, my personality, everything. You are exactly like me barring the obvious differences in our gender."_

_She explained in such a blunt fashion that he would've laughed in a different setting. Instead he shook his head in disbelief._

" _T-That's impossible!"_

" _It is not and you know it!" She snapped. "Denial will get you nowhere when you know the truth."_

_He swallowed. "Why are you telling me this?"_

" _Our memories have not merged as they should neither has our aura. It must or we will die."_

" _I thought you said I was you in the entirety."_

" _You are however no two people have the same aura, reincarnated or not and two auras cannot share a body without severe consequence."_

" _What will happen after we merge?"_

_Satine smiled slightly. "A few of my physical traits will emerge as well as a few of my mannerisms. You will become a perfect blend of what has shaped you in your life as well as what shaped me in my own. And…" She trailed off for a moment._

" _And?" Jeremy prompted._

" _My bond with Damon, it shall manifest in you. You will never be able to love another for our heart belongs to him in its entirety."_

_He nodded at that. "I already love him." He confessed softly and she nodded._

" _I know."_

_With these words he felt a warm rush flow through him and Satine disappeared._

_When he awakened it seemed as if only a few minutes had passed yet he'd slept the night away._

He was finally understand it all and he discovered that Satine had indeed spoken the truth. His hair developed a red tinge much like her own, and his skin became paler almost delicate looking, his body sleek and effeminate. He developed her love for the arts and for literature and a habit of biting his lip when nervous or uncomfortable. He became a perfect blend of himself and her.

When asked about the changes he lied or acted like he hadn't noticed them but he had, especially the most important change.

Their bond with Damon. It tugged at his heart and ensured that while he was able to sleep with others none of them would  _ever_ possess what rightfully belong to the vampire Satine had loved.

His heart would always belong to her vampire…and he couldn't find it in himself to mind very much.

He had always known…yet it wasn't until they met that he'd understood.

**TBC**

4


	2. To See you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our lovers are reunited...

**Chapter Two**

Jeremy was not having a very good day.

The night before he'd dreamed once more of the day he'd died and left behind his Damon. He had awakened with a tightness in his chest and the coppery taste of blood on his lips. It had frightened him, leaving terrified and heart broken.

In addition to his horrible night his morning had been equally as terrible. He'd been late to school, and had missed his first class entirely earning a disapproving glare from his sister. Then on his way to his third class he'd been cornered by Tyler and his stupid jock headed friends, beaten up and shoved around which had resulted in him being late to that class as well.

Now here it was the last class of the day and he could only hope nothing happened to ruin it. It was his favorite class and the only one he had that allowed him to be around the other outcasts of his school without scrutiny.

Theatre arts.

The dream to be an actress during his life as Satine had not disappeared in this life and if he were to be perfectly honest it had been his dream long before he'd discovered their connection. He had always possessed an appreciation for fine arts. Music, dancing, singing, drawing, painting it all drew him in because of the freedom it allowed one to express. Funnily enough, no one but those in his theatre class actually seemed to notice this aspect of his personality, too focused on his drug addiction to actually get to know  _him_  beyond being  _that Gilbert kid._

"Are you alright, Jeremy?"

"I'm fine." He responded immediately, and his teacher, , nodded knowingly.

"Of course you are, Dear. Now pay attention."

With a nod of his own he did as he was bid, ducking his head to hide his smile. was his favorite teacher, all gentle looks and kind, firm words. She never judged him, despite his addiction, and she never singled him out if he didn't deserve it unlike a lot of her fellow teachers.

The woman smiled at him then at the rest of the class.

"Alright, as you all know, our fall showcase is only three weeks away so we all need to have our pieces submitted and ready to be performed. The theme is the Children of the Revolution whose core values were freedom, beauty, truth, and love. They began one of the most important artistic movements in France during the early 1900s. You all are to choose a song that encompasses one of these values to perform at the showcase next month."

Jeremy's heart jolted, yet at the same time it sang joyously. He'd lived the revolution, had sang and spoken to its leaders. He'd loved the most successful artist of it and inspired him. This was something he could excel in and yet just hearing those words, being told to sing about them felt so  _wrong_ because  _he_  wasn't there to listen to him do it.  _He_ wasn't there to hear him finally accept love as one of the essentials in life.

A sigh escaped his lips and he shoved the feeling of wrongness away to focus on the now. His love would find him when the time was right, of this he was absolutely sure. Their bond hummed in the back of his mind and he smiled softly.

Yes, even though Damon was unaware of his reincarnation he knew that soon they would meet. He just had no idea of how soon.

* * *

It started as a seemingly normal day for him.

He had awakened to the feeling of Caroline's naked body pressed against his own and had had to fight the sense of wrongness that had flooded him at the sensation. After he'd woken the girl and had compelled her not to keep the fang marks on her throat hidden he'd watched as she dressed then he had driven her to school and gone to speak with a few of his contacts out of town.

Then he'd returned just before school let out and picked the girl up, listening as she complained about her friend Elena's new boyfriend and how he hadn't paid the slightest bit of attention to her. He rolled his eyes at her pettiness and handed her the sports bag she'd asked him to bring her.

"Are you going to come watch me at practice?" She asked hopefully and he shrugged knowing it was likely only because she wanted to show up her friend.

"Sure. Not like I have much else to do."

She squealed happily then set about changing into her sports clothes with little thought to the fact that they were still in his car. Once she was done, he drove them back to the school.

As she climbed out of the car and moved to kiss him a warm enticing scent hit him, so heartbreaking in its familiarity that his breath hitched.

It was a scent so imprinted on his brain that he could separate it no matter where he was and isolate it, despite having not come into contact with it in almost a century.

The scent of chamomile and lily's underlined with a unique smoky scent.

Satine.

His eyes searched the parking lot frantically and he ignored Caroline's worried inquiries. It took only a moment for him to locate the origin of the scent and when he did he felt his undead heart jolt painfully. There, sitting in the bleachers with a pair of headphones in his ears, was a young man that could have passed for his late lover's twin. He was gorgeous with his creamy pale skin and long curly hair that fell in red tinged waves to his shoulders. His eyes were the same hazel green hers had been and his facial structure was an exact match.

Caroline followed his gaze and gave a disgusted snort.

"That's Elena's stupid drug addicted brother, Jeremy. He'll sleep with anyone for a hit."

Damon tore his gaze from the beauty to look down at the petty girl in his arms.

"How would you know?" He growled offended on the behalf of the beauty bearing his dead beloved's face.

Jealousy reared its ugly head and the blonde's face twisted into a petulant expression.

"Because, he's one of those freaks and that's what he does!"

Damon fought the instinct to snarl at her words and the girl glared at him, pulling him into a possessive kiss that did absolutely nothing to take his attention from the youngest Gilbert sibling. Seeing this, Caroline cast one last glared in the boy's direction before heading towards the field.

Once she was gone, Damon found himself drifting in the direction of the bleachers and soon he was standing directly in front of the beauty. Up close his scent was even more captivating, tickling his throat like the finest ambrosia. It was exactly like his Satine's with one minuscule difference, the lightly musky scent marking the boy as a male.

He gently removed an earbud from the teen's ear to draw his attention.

Beautiful hazel green eyes moved up from where they had been focused on the half done sketch in the owner's lap, widening as they met his own cerulean blue hues.

Longing, pain, recognition, and love filled them and he knew without a doubt that this boy was, in fact, his dead lover somehow. His undead heart began to beat once more and he stared down at the other.

"You're alive." He breathed.

Jeremy's full lips tilted into a broken smile and tears welled in his eyes.

"You're here."

He responded and the vampire took a seat beside him, gently cupping one of those smooth porcelain cheeks.

"How is this possible?" The vampire asked, the mask he'd hidden behind for so long falling just slightly.

"Not here, my heart. It is not yet the time for us."

Damon flinched and pain flashed behind his eyes.

"Why?! Why isn't it?" He cried pleading for the other to give him a reason why they shouldn't be together once more.

"Later tonight, darling. I promise you it shall all be explained but for now we cannot, Damon. Please."

Falling back behind his mask the vampire nodded, cerulean eyes dark with love and longing.

"Okay." He muttered taking a seat beside the other.

Jeremy glanced at him, hazel green eyes full of too many emotions to name. Then he turned back to his sketchbook.

"Okay." He replied.

**TBC**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yes I'm aware that their first meeting is extremely emotional but looking at it from their perspectives I think it's justified. Jeremy's heart has belonged to a man he's only met in dreams since he can remember and Damon is being reunited with the love of his life whom he had believed he'd never see again so I believe they're allowed to be emotional. Anyways as always tell me what you think. :-)


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"I can't believe him!"

Elena and Bonnie looked up as their other best friend, Caroline walked over to them her face twisted in an affronted expression. They shared a look, wondering just who had warranted the blonde's temper this time.

"Who?"

"Your brother?!" She snarled at Elena. "He's trying to steal my boyfriend!"

The dark-haired girl raised an eyebrow and glanced up at her brother's slim form, noting the dark haired man sitting beside him. They seemed to argue for a moment before the man sat down with a forlorn expression.

"Actually, it looks like he turned him down."

Caroline followed her gaze then scowled.

"I just don't understand. We were fine this morning, then when we got here it was like all he could focus on was Jeremy."

Elena frowned disapprovingly at her. "That's not Jer's fault and you know it." She scolded.

Her friend looked down. "I know."

Bonnie placed a hand on the heartbroken girl's shoulder.

"Just talk to him."

Caroline glanced back at her lover, only to find him staring back at her with a slight frown on his face. He stared at her, only for a moment, then looked back at the teen beside him. He said something she couldn't hear and Jeremy only glanced at him, then at her. A small, bitter smile crossed the boy's lips and he shook his head then stood and walked away.

* * *

Stefan was confused. He had watched as Damon pulled up to the school with the Elena's friend hanging off his arm, only to disregard her presence completely in favor of Jeremy, Elena's brother. From there he watched as his brother seemed to gravitate towards the young addict and remove one of his earbuds with a gentleness he'd never seen in the older vampire before. His voice, when he spoke to the boy was full of wonder and pain, slightly breathless in quality.

"You're alive."

Jeremy had smiled at him, although he was sure they'd never met before in their lives and had answered it with an awed statement of his own, tears in his eyes.

"You're here."

He watched his brother sit down beside the boy and cup his cheek in his hand with the same alien gentleness he'd displayed upon removing the boy's earphones.

"How is this possible?" He asked brokenly, as if he were dreaming and expected to have his greatest desire ripped from him at any moment. Jeremy's reply was confusing and seemed to hurt him more because he flinched as if struck.

"Not here, my heart. It is not yet the time for us."

"Why?! Why isn't it?" He was begging. Stefan didn't know was he was begging for but he could hear it in the plea in his voice. Obviously Jeremy heard it too because pain flashed in his eyes.

"Later tonight, darling. I promise you it shall all be explained but for now we cannot, Damon. Please." Darling? Just what exactly was his brother's relationship with the boy? And when would they have met without anyone knowing they knew each-other.

They both acquiesced and he watched his brother collapse into his seat with a forlorn expression. For a moment they sat in silence. Then Damon looked down at the girls cheerleading.

"I assume you know about her?"

Jeremy smiled bitterly. "One of the main reasons we can't. I'll see you tonight, Damon."

Damon slumped lower in his seat and didn't respond, only watching him walk away. Once he was gone, the older vampire glanced down at the blonde girl fancying herself his girlfriend then vanished leaving Stefan to wonder about the strange encounter until football practice was over. Turning his attention to his own girlfriend he put it all to the back of his mind, vowing to interrogate his brother when they spoke again.

* * *

His heart was pounding in his chest, his blood rushing through his veins with such speed that one would think hell hounds were chasing his blood cells. As he stood at the door of the Gilbert home, Damon realized that for the first time in many years…he was nervous.

His lips quirked into a small smile. Then again, the only times he'd ever been nervous his beloved had been involved. It really shouldn't surprise him that he was nervous now. Gathering his courage, he knocked.

Light footsteps sounded from inside the house, then the door opened and his breath was caught in his chest.

His lover stood before him, eyes half-lidded in sleep, hair mussed and he realized that he'd woken him. Before he could apologize, Jeremy, Satine, smiled at him.

"Sorry if you were waiting long. I fell asleep and Aunt Jenna and Elena are out with their respective boyfriends."

"I wasn't. I just got here." He lied, refusing to admit that he'd been standing in front of the door for nearly an hour, hesitant to knock. Jeremy gave a soft laugh and rolled his eyes fondly, stepping back to let him in.

"You're still a horrible liar, Damon."

The vampire smiled. "Only to you." He replied and it was true. The other was the only person he'd ever met that he absolutely couldn't lie to.

He pulled the small body close, feeling it relax against him.

"How is this possible?" Damon asked softly and Jeremy snorted softly.

"Reincarnation gone wrong. I am Satine and she was me, but I am also the new me, Jeremy Gilbert, if that makes since." Damon nodded.

"Then I will learn to love the newer parts of you as I have in the past."

The teen shook his head and pushed him away.

"We can't. I want to so bad…but we _can't_."

"Why?! You keep telling me that but you won't give me a reason! Why can't we be together? There is no Duke, no contract, no Moulin Rouge! You are free now!"

A bitter laugh left Jeremy's lips, his arms wrapping around himself in a parody of a hug.

"You have a girlfriend, I'm a drug addict, who most believe is a whore, and My sister is dating your brother. There's no room for us."

His vampire only sighed and pulled him back into his arms.

"After you died, I wrote our story. It took me months to finally gather the courage to face the pain of losing you but once I finished it, I gave it to Toulouse to publish and left Paris all together. I am no longer the man you knew and loved. I am jaded and angry. I have done horrible things. But I would do anything you asked of me just for another chance at our love."

Jeremy was silent for a moment, then he sighed.

"I don't care what you've done, just as you didn't care so long ago. Leave her and that second chance is yours."

Damon's answering grin could've lit the darkest of nights.

**TBC…**


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Bliss.

It coursed through his veins with all the strength of a raging hurricane and for the first time in nearly a century Damon felt a song building on the tip of his tongue and it was all because of him.

Satine- no _Jeremy_ , his gorgeous mate, who lay in his arms humming softly.

"I missed this." He whispered and he could almost feel his human smile.

"I did too. I'd spend so many days thinking about this, about you and now that you're finally here…I still can't believe it."

He turned, hazel-green eyes soft and full of wonder.

" _ **I hope you don't mind. I hope you don't mind, that I put down in words. How wonderful life is…"**_

Damon smiled and leaned closer to him. _"Now you're in the world."_

Jeremy blushed but his smile brightened in intensity nearly stealing the breath from the vampire's undead lungs.

"I love you and I will learn to love everything new abut you."

The clock went off beside them and the human jumped, the spell and peace of the night broken. He pulled away from the vampire, lean arms wrapping around himself as if to ward off the upcoming pain they would both have to endure.

"You should go. We have school in an hour."

His lover sighed and nodded, kissing him chastely.

"I'll come by tonight."

Jeremy's lips quirked into a tiny smile.

"Off with you, _penniless sitar player_."

Returning the smile with a loving one of his own, he embraced his mate once more then slipped out the window and into the crisp morning air. Once he was gone, Jeremy's smile fell and he fell back onto his bed with a sigh, heart aching and singing all at once.

"Oh Damon, haven't you learned by now that trouble follows us?" He whispered allowing the words to be stolen by the wind.

He should've said no, should've resisted those sad blue eyes no matter how much it hurt. But he couldn't. He was selfish and he wanted his lover back, so now Damon would be paying the price for it.

How could he tell his love that the past would soon repeat itself.

He coughed harshly, wiping away the blood on his lips.

That it had already begun to do so.

* * *

She should've seen this coming, should've at least suspected it when she'd noticed how captivated Damon was with Jeremy Gilbert.

But she hadn't.

Somehow, she hadn't thought that his fascination with her friend's brother would lead to this, and it _had_ , no matter how much he tried to deny that Jeremy was the reason.

"You're breaking up with me." She whispered and Damon nodded, a sad expression on his face even thought his eyes softened with every mention of Jeremy's name. He at least had the decency to look apologetic.

"I am."

"Because of him." She stated.

His lips twitched as he was going to refute the statement as he had the last two time she had said the same thing but instead he sighed and nodded.

"Yes."

Something in her snapped and she felt so goddamn angry. Why? What was so amazing about _him?_

"Why?" She snarled. "What is it about him that draws you away from me?! You just met him yesterday!"

Damon stared at her and his eyes softened into an expression she could never remember seeing on his face. Something so tender and sweet it made her heart weep because it wasn't directed toward her but toward the boy currently walking across the school parking lot only a short distance away, head bobbing to whatever was playing in his headphones.

"He is…He's-" A sigh escaped the man, frustration in his eyes. "I can't describe it, Caroline. I wish I had a better reason to give you but I don't…because he is the best reason I can give."

Her eyes burned with tears and she looked away from that expression, long blond hair shielding her face.

"Please," She whispered, anger drained, leaving only pain. "Please leave."

He shifted in his seat and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"One day," He began in a soft voice, "One day this will not hurt as bad as it does. Your heart is strong and one day, you will know love in it's purest form. One day you will understand my reasoning, even though I have not given them as clearly as I should have. I'm sorry that you do not right now."

This said, he kissed her on her forehead and exited the car, leaving her to break down in peace.

Still, as she cried, she couldn't help but believe the uncharacteristically sweet words he'd spoken and look forward to her One Day.

One day she would have someone who would look at her the way Damon looked at the youngest Gilbert.

One day someone would love her and heal the scars Damon just left behind.

* * *

Jeremy was happy.

Jenna stared at her nephew in silent awe as he sat at the dining room table, a small smile dancing on his lips.

She had never seen him smile so earnestly before, especially not sober, and she couldn't help but wish he would keep doing it.

He had such a beautiful smile.

" _ **How wonderful life is, now you're in the world."**_ He sang softly, eyes soft and she smiled at the emotion in his voice.

Love.

Jeremy was in love, and deeply if the look in his eyes were any indication.

She couldn't help but wonder who had captured his heart so thoroughly, and send them a silent thanks.

They had made Jeremy smile again, and -if the tremors wracking his slim frame were any indication-he was willing to give his habit for them.

For that they had all the thanks she could give them.

* * *

Stefan was suspicious and it showed as he stared at his older brother with a perturbed frown, watching as the older vampire moved around the room wearing a smile he hadn't seen since their early years.

"I heard you talking to Jeremy Gilbert."

The older vampire stilled and raised an eyebrow at him.

"And?"

"I know what you're doing with him. With Caroline. You're using them to get close to Elena and I won't let you. She's not Katherine."

Something dark flashed in the older male's gaze and he bared his teeth.

"I _know_ she's not Katherine! But my dealings with Jeremy have nothing to do with your silly little doppelganger. He is so much more than that."

Stefan snorted incredulously. "Like what? _Love?_ "

His brother hadn't been obsessed with that particular emotion since his return from Paris in the early 1900's. It would stand that he would be suspicious of him if just one meeting with the younger Gilbert had him believing in the emotion again and yet…Damon didn't deny it. If anything, his gaze softened.

"Not yet. But soon it will be." He replied before leaving the room. Stefan stared after him with a scowl and resolved to watch the man more closely.

After all it wouldn't due to repeat history again and lose Elena to the elder like he'd lost Katherine.

**TBC…**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"Mr. Gilbert, have you decided on a performance?"

Jeremy blushed vividly as he looked up from his sketch of his lover to meet his theatre teacher's amused dark eyes. Mrs. Bennings smiled at him.

"I have. I will be singing."

Everyone looked at him, with raised eyebrows and he ducked his head, blush darkening.

It was well known in his class that he avoided singing when he didn't have to, so it stood to reason that they were shocked.

"What song?" She asked and he smiled softly.

"Can it be a surprise?"

"C'mon, don't be shy."

His blush darkened. "It's a song called Bound to You. I wrote it a few days ago, so it'll be my first time singing it."

Mrs. Bennings smirked playfully, giving her eyebrows a little waggle.

"Got a special someone in your life?"

He smiled, but didn't answer and she sighed before moving on. Once she finished, she handed everyone a slip of paper with a number on it.

"These numbers signify the order you will be performing in. If you forget your number before the show, do not be alarmed. All of the numbers are prerecorded so we will be able to remind you. If anyone is performing with a partner that does not attend our school, then their partner must be registered before the end of the day Friday."

Everyone nodded and the woman clapped twice, a bright smile on her lips.

"Alright, that's all I have for you today. Class dismissed."

Leaving the room, Jeremy fought not to lose himself to his thoughts but he couldn't help it. Just the thought of his love, a mere mention, and his thoughts were no longer his own. Every little part of him belonged to his vampire. His mind was entrapped in eyes so blue that the sky paled in comparison.

His lips curled into a smile, and their song danced on the tip of his tongue. Only Damon could make him this love-struck.

A hand grabbed his arm roughly, drawing him from his thoughts, and he frowned when he saw his assailant was his own sister. The older teen seemed angry, her chocolate eyes blazing as they glared into his own.

"How could you?" She growled and he blinked in confusion.

Was this about the drugs? It couldn't be. He hadn't touched any since being reunited with Damon. They hadn't even crossed his mind. Even the withdrawals seemed mild compared to the warmth caressing him down to his very core as their bond pulsed.

So what had he done to anger her?

She seemed to grow angrier at his confusion. "Caroline!" She snapped. "How could you hurt her like that?!"

Jeremy's eyes darkened at the mention of Damon's ex-girlfriend. Of course, she couldn't get angry on his behalf when her little group of popular friends belittled and spread rumors about him, but she could get mad at him for loving his mate. He ignored the hurt that thought sent through him.

"That had nothing to do with me."

"It had everything to do with you! I didn't want to believe the rumors about you…but you seem intent on proving them right!" She yelled and he flushed in anger and hurt as people started to stop and stare at them.

He'd never thought that he'd hear those words from his sister and he knew if she continued on, he would break. Elena, no matter how neglectful, was the only blood family he had left. For her to do this to him in front of everyone, over a friend that didn't even like her half the time…it hurt.

"You really believe that?" He whispered and she snorted.

"What am I supposed to believe, Jeremy?! Only a whore steals someone's boyfriend."

His heart shattered in his chest.

Whore.

It seemed like even in his new life he wouldn't escape that dreaded word.

A broken laugh escaped his lips, cutting into his sister's tirade, and he turned away hoping no one would see the tears burning his eyes.

"I doubt most whores are virgins." He replied, before walking away, willing his tears not to fall.

There was no use crying over someone who only saw the worst in him.

He had other things to worry about…even still one traitorous tear escaped his eye as he resolved to shut himself off from the only blood-relation he had left in this world.

* * *

Damon hummed quietly as he waited in the parking lot for his lover, frowning inwardly as he picked up a few quiet statements containing his beloved's name.

Apparently the teen had had a confrontation with the doppelgänger about their relationship, after which no one had seen him. Many were on the fence about the argument, shocked that the girl would make their confrontation so public. The rest were more shocked that Jeremy had admitted to being a virgin, something many hadn't believed was true.

Footsteps sounded from behind him and he turned, scowling as he realized it was only Stefan, approaching him.

"She shouldn't have done that." He rumbled and to his surprise the younger vampire nodded in agreement.

"No. But he shouldn't have agreed to date you knowing you were dating Caroline."

"He didn't. I broke up with Caroline before he agreed to be with me. He's too kind to do something like that."

Stefan frowned. "Is getting to Elena really that important to you? So important that you would ruin that kid's life?"

"Why don't you keep your opinions to yourself." The two brothers turned to find the object of their discussion standing approaching, his expression blank and cold. Damon's heart ached at the expression, so similar to the one he'd worn the night before their last show. The show before Ziddler and The Duke had forced them apart.

"Sa-Jeremy,"

"I'm fine."

He wasn't, but Damon knew better than to say so. Stefan had no such qualms.

"No you're not."

Jeremy glared at him.

"Don't you have girl friend to comfort? Apparently she's distraught that her brother is a whore who steals her friend's boyfriends."

Damon swallowed.

" _I've paid my whore!"_

Those words had haunted him for years after he'd said them, but Satine's reaction had haunted him the most. The devastation in her eyes, the tears, they'd stayed with him long after her death and he would always regret saying those words.

He knew that word would be his mate's breaking point.

"You are not a whore." He whispered fiercely and Jeremy snorted.

"Aren't I?"

Damon scowled and grabbed his face.

"You are not a whore." He repeated firmly and his lover smiled brokenly.

"Such a way with words, _my penniless sitar player_."

Stefan raised an eyebrow at the two, who seemed to have forgotten his presence. Watching them, it was hard to believe they'd only met a few days ago. They behaved like they'd known each other for centuries. Somehow, he knew that this would be good for his brother.

**TBC…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I have absolutely no idea where this is going…


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

" _You are not a whore." He whispered fiercely and Jeremy snorted._

" _Aren't I?"_

_Damon scowled and grabbed his face._

" _You are not a whore." He repeated firmly and his lover smiled brokenly._

" _Such a way with words,_ my penniless sitar player _."_

_Stefan raised an eyebrow at the two, who seemed to have forgotten his presence. Watching them, it was hard to believe they'd only met a few days ago. They behaved like they'd known each other for centuries. Somehow, he knew that this would be good for his brother._

***/***

It was…strange to watch.

Zach stared at Damon strangely as he and Jeremy Gilbert sat curled in front of the fireplace, the vampire's gaze soft as he stared down at the sleeping human.

In all the years he'd known the elder of his great grand-uncles, the man had been cold, and imposing, their family's black sheep. His was a name whispered with fear or spat with hate and yet the man before him could almost be someone else entirely.

He stared at the youngest Gilbert as if he were the rarest gem on earth, a look in his eyes he only vaguely remembered his father watching his mother with during his childhood.

He'd been watching the couple since the vampire's unannounced arrival earlier that day, and it was only Stefan's reassurance that kept him from saying anything untoward about it all.

Damon was gentle with the boy, speaking in soft tones and sweet whispers and he'd thought that he'd meant to make the child his blood bank of the night and yet…

Not once did his fangs stray near the boy's throat.

Instead he seemed content pressing chaste kisses on Jeremy's face, anywhere he could reach without jostling the boy too much.

It was as disconcerting as it was beautiful.

"If you wake him, I will hurt you."

He flinched, meeting cold blue eyes, only to gape in shock as a delicate hand slapped the man's chest.

"Stop it, you. I am already awake." Jeremy sat up, smiling slightly at the vampire. "Who could sleep with you thinking so loud?"

Damon smiled sheepishly, pulling the teen closer. "Sorry, love. I was thinking about, well, everything. I didn't mean to disturb you."

The teen rolled his eyes, then glanced at Zach meaningfully. "Well? Time seems to have dulled your manners, beloved. Apologize."

Damon _pouted_. "Do I have to?"

The boy raised an unimpressed eyebrow, yet there was no denying the remarkably fond gleam in his eyes.

His uncle huffed and faced him. "Sorry." He bit out, not meaning a word of it, but Zach nodded all the same.

Jeremy chuckled. "Stop staring at him like he's Ninny." He teased, before turning to Zach.

"How've you been, Mr. Salvatore?"

"F-fine." The younger Salvatore replied faintly. "You do know what he is right?"

Gilbert sighed then turned to Damon. "What did you do, love?"

Damon scowled defensively. "You _died_. You left me behind."

Zach frowned. What the hell was going on? Jeremy was right there, and he was sure that his uncle had never met the boy before returning to Mystic Falls. Still there was an entire story to their words that belayed the opposite.

Jeremy flinched. "I know. _I know_ , and I'm sorry! I didn't- I tried to spare you, but you were so stubborn." He coughed, and this time it was Damon who flinched, his entire expression one of devastation.

"Y-you're still sick?"

The teen looked away.

"No," The vampire denied, shaking his head. "No, _Satine_ , Jer, _**No**_ **.** Was- this was one of the reasons you said we couldn't be together, wasn't it?!"

His lack of response seemed to make the vampire more frantic, and he grabbed the boy's arms and pulled him closer.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He whispered, and Zach bit his lip at the very real pain in his words.

It sounded as if the very ground had been ripped from beneath the older man and for the first time, he felt bad for him.

Jeremy jerked away from him, and Zach saw tears building in his eyes before he ducked his head, using his hair to hide his face.

"I should go. This- this was a mistake.A stupid, _selfish_ mistake."

"Jeremy-"

"No!" He snapped fiercely, cutting the vampire off. His wet hazel green eyes glared at the man, defiant even as another cough left his lips.

"I should have _never_ let this happen, Damon. _Never_ , it was stupid and selfish! I shouldn't have done this."

Damon pulled him back into his arms, expression stern.

"It wasn't a mistake. Stop running from me...from us. There is no duke, no moulin rouge, _you're free_."

A sardonic smile crossed the teen's lips, a solitary tear escaped his eye. "I'm not."

"I can save you. _I can_." Damon was pleading, for what, Zach couldn't tell but he hurt for the man. He found himself hoping. for the first time, that Jeremy would bow to the plea. Anything to stop the madness in front of him.

"Let me change you."

Jeremy stared at him, eyes wide. "W-what?"

"Let me turn you. The illness will be cured and you'll be free."

"My sister-"

"Hasn't even noticed you're sick. I doubt she'd notice your diet change."

Despite himself, Zach snorted drawing both of their attention and Damon scowled. "You're still there?"

He chuckled nervously, and escaped.

Seems like Mystic Falls would be getting a new vampire soon.

***/***

Conflict.

It seemed he spent most of this life and his past one feeling conflicted. Conflicted between the his duty to the Moulin Rouge and his heart's desires, between his wish to spare Damon's feelings and his desire to be reunited with him.

To become a vampire and live forever with Damon, or die young one more.

It should be an easy choice, but he knew the consequence of it. If he chose to become a vampire he'd be forced to watch those he loved grow old and die, Damon notwithstanding.

Then again…

The only people he truly cared about at the moment were Jenna and Elena, the latter of whom had a chance of becoming a vampire herself since she was dating one.

"Jer?" He gazed down into the ocean blue eyes of the man beneath him and let out a shuddering breath, praying he wouldn't regret it.

"Okay."

"You're sure?"

He nodded, chuckling when his lover's eyes lit up.

Warmth, one that could only be sparked by the vampire before him, flooded his being and he leaned down to kiss him chastely, knowing he'd made the right choice.

And when Damon's fangs sank into his throat a few moments later, he smiled.

**TBC...**


End file.
